Castiel

We say this every year, but it's really hard to call this year. You can't see past City and ourselves being nailed on for top 4. United have had an awful start but half their team is injured and they've signed some impressive firepower. They also have no European football and we saw how much that helped Liverpool last season, they can play their best 11 every week save for injuries. Arsenal always manage to make it somehow so that leads me to believe Liverpool is most under threat of losing out. Unfortunately for you I don't think Spurs or Everton will make it, but I'd rather one of those to Liverpool/United. Your best chance is winning the Europa League.

He was the best centre forward in the world, but we'll have to wait and see now. He could easily turn into a Torres for them. Risky transfer if you ask me.

Maybe nobody had a pen.

I think Mourinho (like any good coach) just wants to build a well balanced team, which is what we have. A finely tuned balance of strength, guile, pace and power. Get it all to gel into a well oiled machine and you have an elite side as we were in 2004-07. If we reach those heights again we'll be privileged.

Great news, he's been a revelation. Remember when we had Bosingwa?

I bet he's secretly enjoying this. It exemplifies how good he was. He's built his legacy as the greatest manager of all time, he's got nothing else to prove and these failures only make him look better. I think he's a complete prick but you've got to tip your hat to his ability as a manager.

This would be ideal. If I'm not mistaken, Pogba would count as home grown. He either is already, or he would be if signed in January. Absolute monster of a midfielder and only 21. Varane we've all seen in action, and Jose rates them both incredibly highly. Problem is Pogba would cost a fortune so I'm doubtful of it happening. We might end up with Khedira since he'll have six months left. Premature thread but we're all bored with no Chelsea for 2 weeks!

I surprised he didn't even post an "I told you so".

Surprising nobody picked him up. Both Arsenal and United could really use him. I'd certainly take him on a free next year.

He had a pretty terrible start with Bayern and managed to win a double in the same season. He says he needs 3 months to get things sorted out. He won't be winning the title if he needs that sort of time in this league because City and ourselves will be too far ahead, but I think the Glazers will humour him for that period unless they end up in relegation form.

One of the best windows we've ever had. Targets identified and signed early, players Jose didn't rate sold for excellent value, deadwood shipped (including the unshippable) - no messing around. We've addressed all our major weaknesses with quality players and we're already reaping the rewards. Long may it continue.

Ba holds up play by the lesser known strategy of confusing his opponents, and his team mates...

7 points off if they want the title! They only have 2 points from 9.

I wanted him too, but the time was when he left Porto. We could have signed him then, he wanted to follow AVB and it looked like AVB wanted to bring him - but unfortunately we couldn't make it happen on account of recently spending 50m on Torres. Now he's way too big of a risk. He's 29 this season with a history of injuries to his knee and on enormous wages. Crazy to give him a 5 year deal. I think he'll deliver at least partially, but I'm much happier with Costa.

Hazard comes to mind. Every team in Europe was after him, we didn't seem in the running, then he announces he's "chosen the European Champions" shortly after we win it.

I don't even think these are LVG buys. Rojo and Blind probably were. Di Maria and Falcao probably not. The others were players they'd been working on since before he arrived. He's been in the media for weeks complaining that he has too many AM's and strikers and can't set up how he wants, now they go and blow over 100m on two positions they're overstocked in, as good as they are. Woodward seems to be as bad as Perez at this point. A lot of this really doesn't seem like moves LVG would make. I'll give them Di Maria maybe, because he can play the Robben role even though he's in CM at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how they line up in a couple of weeks. The Rojo situation still hasn't been resolved either. They're apparently going to court over it so I can't see how this can be fixed before the deadline. This means he can't be registered until January.

We can't worry about European teams, I don't like strengthening domestic rivals though. I'd much rather Cech went abroad even if we met him again in the CL.

Mendes: "It is a permanent deal but due to the fair play rules the first year must be a loan." #mufc What a farce.

Yep it looks likely to happen. Hope he does well with them. He was brilliant for Watford then couldn't make much of his loans last season. He's looked a great talent every time I've seen him.

Indeed it's a shame most HG players are sh*t. So lucky we got HG Fabregas. I was disappointed we couldn't get Shaw on that end, he along with Sterling look like the most promising English prospects around. I still have high hopes for Chalobah so hopefully he progresses with Burnley. I have a good feeling about Varane. He's on Madrid's bench behind f**king Pepe and Ramos because of how that ridiculous club works. He would beat out one of our defenders here and Mourinho would actually give him a chance. I think the fact that he and Mourinho have a good relationship and Madrid messing him around lines that up as likely transfer for us if we play it right. Hopefully anyway.

Yes but it's superfluous to have a keeper so good on the bench and it's taking up an international slot unnecessarily. I had hoped we'd leverage him to get a player we could use, like Varane. So I predict we will once Casillas has had enough time to cause a panic in Madrid. You are right that it's great to have two world class keepers, but it isn't really practical nor optimal when we could use that slot to improve the team as a whole.

Oh right you are. We're going into the season with three international keepers then! Not optimal but either way, Cech should go in January. I really didn't want to see him sitting on the bench for half a season though.

It must be incredibly frustrating for them, but they get no sympathy from us. I actually rate Wenger as a coach, he gets his teams to play great football and his teams around the invincible era were brilliant. Even his subsequent teams, although they didn't accomplish anything, played some of the best football in the league. The problem is the guy just loses the plot every year when it comes to addressing his most obvious issues. He lost Fabregas and RVP over it. Same with Nasri. His best players end up realising that he won't take them anywhere, and when he does spend he wastes it on the wrong positions. Khedira has been available all summer, I still don't think they'll sign him. Falcao was obviously available and he's technically excellent so exactly the type who would flourish in his system. I just can't understand him, he consistently keeps them a hair away from being a complete team, long may it continue.

Balotelli is going to cause problems at some point for Liverpool. He can't be controlled. If Mourinho wanted him he'd be here, yet we didn't even attempt to sign him. Our squad has great unity like Jose's first stint, I wouldn't want him disrupting that with his antics. Costa is a bit of a nutter but he's such a team player. He's only just arrived and he plays like this club is his life. He's the good kind of nutter like Luiz, he'll fight for his team which is why Luiz was popular despite his many blunders. Fans love a player who cares. Balotelli seems very self centred as was evident that time for Inter when Jose specifically told him to keep his calm, not to get riled up and see the game out - only to get sent off minutes later. I'm glad we gave him a miss. If we can get Destro or someone like that next summer with Drogba retiring into coaching, our strikeforce is set for years.

Calling it now. We won't register Schwarzer, Casillas will be awful until January at which point Cech goes there and we get Varane.